Wow. What's going on in this country lately? Racism is alive and well, I guess...

First we have the "stand your ground" law in Florida giving rise to a murder of an innocent young black teenager by a white/Hispanic self-appointed neighborhood watch-resident-trigger-happy racist, and now the Raywick, Ky bar owner who thinks all black people should be banned from her bar and property because they have dark skin and therefore will cause trouble?

Imagine getting up earlier on a beautiful day and going somewhere where everyone is excited and in a great mood. The atmosphere is uplifting, knowing you are about to do something fun that is also wonderful for your health. The sense of accomplishment that you will feel at the end is amazing! And anyone can do it!

A love for milk and tomatoes might have been Aileen Ferrell's secret to longevity.

At least, that's what she told me when I interviewed her back in 2002.

She was ONLY 95 years old at the time.

I can vividly remember sitting in the kitchen of her huge, historic home on Main Street in Lebanon, and talking with her about her love for milk, vegetables (her favorite being tomatoes), dancing and being a mother.

By the time you read this, the 2012 General Assembly will be one day away from concluding. We have completed 59 days of the 60 day session, the last day, April 12, is reserved for considering any Governor's vetoes, if any.

The hype surrounding the Final Four and Monday night's NCAA men's basketball championship game has focused a national spotlight on the Bluegrass State. While fans of the Cards and Cats certainly had plenty to cheer about, not everything reported has been positive news.

First, a report about two fans getting in a fight at a dialysis clinic was either trumpeted in the national media as an example of the passion of local fans or something to laugh about.

Kentucky has already seen the destructive power of nature as storms and tornadoes have hit several communities across the Commonwealth this spring. There have been lives lost, whole communities devastated and families uprooted from their homes.

Industrial hemp hasn't been legal to grow in the United States for decades.
Not that people haven't wanted to grow it, but right or wrong, hemp has been lumped in with its botanical cousin, marijuana, for a long time.

In one key way, legislative sessions are a lot like March Madness: The intensity picks up as the number of days winds down. That makes this week, then, the General Assembly's version of the Final Four.

It was widely reported recently that companies that process ground beef for retail grocery stores add pink slime.
Pink slime is basically beef trimmings that have been sprayed with ammonia to kill the e. coli and salmonella germs in the trimmings.
ABC TV News showed people all upset because they weren't aware of what was being added to the meat.
I really don't have a problem with these added beef trimmings. I've probably eaten it for years and thus far, I'm feeling just fine.

Most legislation that the General Assembly passes each year falls in one of two categories: It either protects, or it promotes.

That was especially evident this past week in the Kentucky House of Representatives, which voted for bills that range from further limiting abuse of our youngest and oldest citizens to helping more students in the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky get their four-year college degree.

For the last several years, the biggest challenge facing the General Assembly and Governor Steve Beshear has been keeping the state on track as it weathers the toughest worldwide recession in more than 70 years.